Electronic systems and equipment such as computer systems, network interfaces, storage systems, and telecommunications equipment are commonly enclosed within a chassis, cabinet or housing for support, physical security, and efficient usage of space. Electronic equipment contained within the enclosure generates a significant amount of heat. Thermal damage may occur to the electronic equipment unless the heat is removed.
As electronic components and subsystems evolve to increasing capability, performance, and higher power, while reducing size and form factor, efficient and cost-effective removal of excess heat is desired. Among available thermal management solutions, liquid cooling via cold plate technology offers high capacity for heat rejection and movement of heat from internal sources to external ambient air. Liquid cooling loop systems typically cycle pumped coolants continuously, conveying excess heat from heat-generating devices. The heat is dispersed into ambient air using a heat exchanger or other device.
A liquid loop cooling system generally uses a pump to drive the cooling fluid through high pressure-drop channels of cold plates attached to processors and other high-power components, and along potentially long and narrow-diameter tubes forming the loop between cold plates, condenser, and pump.
Pumps have a finite lifetime of operation. The pump in a liquid cooling loop system introduces a single-point of failure, a substantial weakness in system reliability. A common liquid cooling loop implementation uses a single loop to cool all processors in a system. The single point-of-failure presented by the pump increases system susceptibility to catastrophic failure in the event of pump failure that causes some or all processors to overheat.